


Strawberry shortcake and Rain

by Sweetdeath (CherieCherrybomb)



Category: Gundam 00
Genre: Awkward Conversations, Boys Kissing, Cake, Coffee Shops, Kissing in the Rain, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-28
Updated: 2012-10-28
Packaged: 2017-11-17 05:06:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/547935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CherieCherrybomb/pseuds/Sweetdeath
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My two good friends again inspired me to write this for the LockAlle community on LJ.  Written as a one shot. I really did like this one.</p><p>While Neil waits impatiently for a call from the others meisters, Alle decides to show up to inform him plans have changed. The rain pelts down even harder than before. So they decide to go to a cafe to wait it out...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Strawberry shortcake and Rain

The Summer was already at it's end. Autumn approached rapidly, transforming leaves from their healthy green coat to a burnt orange glow. 

A few of these leaves fell to Neil's feet, causing him to shift and check his watch for the current time. It read the same time five minutes after he checked it. Man, how long was Tieria and the others going to take? He had been waiting on that wooden park bench for about thirty five minutes now, and while he wasn't the most impatient person, there was something about waiting-- simply waiting-- that always caused him to shift uneasily, maybe even tap his foot without realizing.

He shifted again. Where were they?

Then just as he was going to check his watch again, a cool drop crashed onto his cheek. He blinked those deep emerald eyes, peering up at the sky. It was cloudy before, but the clouds were completely melding into each other, a dark and unfriendly gray hue welcoming the soon to come rain.

Great... Just great.

Neil opened the coat he was wearing, pulling out a small newspaper he had been reading from the inner breast pocket. He groaned, looked around for any sign of the other pilots, then stood up. If he was going to wait any longer, he might as well get an umbrella-- or did Sumeragi want a cold-ridden Celestial Being to pilot Dyames?

The rain came down hard. It was as sudden as the day had turned the evening. Neil shielded himself futilely with his newspaper, looking around for an umbrella vendor.

Just when you actually do need them. He thought to himself bitterly.

Suddenly, just when Neil felt he was going to have to suffer any longer, a large black umbrella appeared over his head. 

"Ah...?" Neil turned to face the figure holding the umbrella. It was Allelujah Haptism, wearing dark gloves and tan coat, buttoned up to his neck. He smiled at the other pilot, merely replying with "The others won't be able to make it. We changed our meeting spot."

"Changed the meeting spot? Geez, thanks for telling me--" Then Neil tilted his head, moving closer to Allelujah so they can both share the large enough, (but just barely,) for two umbrella.

"At least they asked you to come get me. Thanks." 

Allelujah shook his head "Actually, they were just going to give you a call and have you meet us there, but then I saw the rain begin to fall, so I thought--" he blushed faintly, turning his gaze to avoid eye contact.

"Ah, I see. How kind of you..." those words came out more bitter than they were meant to.

Allelujah nodded, his shoulders were touching Neil's, and he felt a bit uncomfortably and cramped beneath the umbrella they shared. 

The rain fell even harder. People around them were running with newspapers, bags, and even their own coats over their heads to shield themselves in an effortless gesture. Neil wrapped an arm around the other pilot to pull him closer. "While, I appreciate this, we really should find a cafe or something to wait this rain out."

"Cafe?" Allelujah wasn't entirely sure why they had to go to a cafe instead of just meeting up with Tieria and Setsuna as planned, but he nodded, allowing Neil to lead him along. He looked down as his hand brushed against the man's thigh. His clothes were a little wet, so he assumed Neil just wanted to get to a warm place where he could dry off. Is a cafe really the best place for that sort of thing though?

"Shouldn't we just--" he wasn't sure what he meant to say. If Neil wanted to dry off, he should have to change his clothes, right? For now he supposed a cafe was the closest thing-- that and perhaps a hotel room. That thought alone brought another faint blush to his cheeks. He looked down at the ground as they walked, fallen leaves sticking to their boots and crunching beneath the soles.

"Should we just-- what, Allelujah?" Neil was waiting for an answer, but the other pilot seemed lost in thought. He just shrugged, brushing wet bangs away from his deep green eyes. "I really want an Irish coffee right now."

"Irish coffee?" Allelujah couldn't help but think of what that was. He has no idea Ireland had their own kind of coffee. Was it green too? He wondered.

"Yeah, it's delicious. Especially on a day like this. It just warms my stomach--" a deep sigh escaped Neil's lips, unable to escape a sudden vivid flash of his childhood memory. He was sitting in their small house with Amy, his mother, his father-- They were all sitting around a small radio, listening to the current news about the war and another recent terrorist attack bombing. 

Neil was small then, but he remembered everything. He was visibly shaking at the thought of the terrorist bombing being so close to their home this time. It was at a crowded shopping area (the usual spot they liked to choose...) but something about this attack sent a shiver down his spine. He wrapped an arm protectively around Amy, sitting by their mother's feet as she reassured both of her children with a gentle hug around their shoulders. 

Just as Neil felt tears in his eyes, his father came into the room with a two hot mugs of Irish coffee. He handed one steaming cup to his wife and then looked down at Neil, patting his head. Neil remembered that caress, and how the smell of the coffee filled his nostrils. Even if his country was at war, he would always return.

Even on the small breaks they got in between missions, he would come back. Their home was gone now-- long gone...

but ...

"Lockon?" Allelujah interrupted the other man's thoughts. He had been quiet for a little too long now. And they were still walking after all-- in that time he went into a mental flash back, Allelujah had been led subconsciously to a near by cafe. It was practically empty due to the rain. There were a few workers inside shuffling about, cleaning tables and drinking hot coffee themselves.

Neil snapped out of his daze, nodding to Allelujah, "Looks like we're here." 

Once inside, the two pilots sat at a table furthest away from the doorway. Neil brushed some wet brown hair behind his ear and waiting for the friendly waitress to come over. 

"Know what you want?" he looked at Allelujah, shifting in his seat to remove his wet coat.

"Yeah. I think I will have some Camomile tea." he began to remove his own coat, wearing a black turtle neck beneath it.

"Aw, you don't want to try an Irish coffee?"

He blinked at that question. Lockon was really determined, wasn't he? He sighed, giving in a bit "Alright, but you're paying."

"What? Haha-- Alright, as you wish. Two Irish coffees please." Neil smiled at the dark haired waitress, watching her nod.

"Is that all?" she asked. 

Neil nodded "Yeah" then watched her return to the counter to prepare them. He turned back to look at Allelujah, sighing deeply. It was so nice and warm in there.

"So, what is...umm an Irish coffee?" the other suddenly broke the silence, asking shyly.

"What is it? Hmm... It's....basically coffee with a little Irish in it." he couldn't help but to laugh. "It's good, trust me!"

Neil's exclamation frightened Allelujah a little, but he nodded, watching the waitress hurry back with two steaming cups of the coffee Neil desired so much.

"Ah, thank you." he took the cup between both hands, savoring the warmth that emitted from it. It looked and smelled delicious. "Ready to try it?" 

That frightened Allelujah again. Why did he have to be ready to try a coffee? He's had coffee plenty of times.

Neil raised his cup, waiting to touch Allelujah's with it. A sort of 'here here!' gesture people often do when celebrating an occasion. 

The pilot smiled softly, then raised his cup, allowing the glass to hit, making a 'clink' against each other. He then turned the cup towards his face, blew a little on the steam arising from it, then took a sip; it wasn't a large sip, but it wasn't small either.

Neil had already taken a plentiful sip as well, smiling contently to himself as the drink traveling down to the pit of his stomach, warming his entire body slowly.

Suddenly Allelujah began to cough. His entire face was red, brows knitted together as he held the cup with a trembling hand. "W-What is this...?" he asked in between coughs, glaring a bit at Neil as if the other had lied to him.

"It's coffee I said! Irish coffee." Does he not know what it means when something has Irish in it? Neil chuckled aloud, watching the poor red faced pilot struggle to regain himself.

"It's -- it's alcoholic! Why didn't you tell me? I'm--"

"Shh, enjoy." Neil took another sip. Allelujah was just too cute to make fun of now.

So Irish coffee is just coffee with alcohol in it? Ugh... The pilot sighed "Can I have my tea now?" he seemed annoyed.

"Sure, why not?" Taking another sip of his coffee, Neil called the waitress back another to order Allelujah his tea. He felt a bit bad, so he even offered to pay for that.

"How about we share a dessert then?"

"S-Share...? Isn't that--" he couldn't help but to cough a little, pushing his Irish coffee aside. 

"A little what? I promise we won't keep Tieria and Setsuna waiting too much longer."

"F-Fine.. What do you like?"

"Strawberry shortcake." he grinned almost childishly. 

Allelujah blinked "I like that too.." So they did share a common interest after all. 

"Good. But I claim the strawberry on top."

But.. that was Allelujah's favorite part of the dessert. He pouted a bit.

The waitress noticed Neil once more. They were the only two people in the cafe after all. Not just that. She couldn't help but to check the Irish man out. The other one with the long bang was cute too. He seemed mysterious; even dangerous, but she loved the way the brown haired man's eyes glowed in the dim room lighting.

"Anything else then?" she asked, approaching their table.

"Yes, just one more thing. A strawberry shortcake please, with two forks."

She nodded, studying Allelujah's face once more before going off "They're sharing a dessert? Rats-- guess they're a couple then." 

Not too much time passed before a delicious looking piece of pastry emerged from behind the counter. The dark haired waitress placed the large slice on the table, setting down two clean silver forks on either side of the men, resting a top white cloth napkins.

"Thank you. We'll take our check now." Neil picked up his fork, eying the dessert like a wolf does to his prey. It looked delicious. Immediately he stabbed the fork through the top of the large sugar frosted strawberry that sat a top the slice. "Mm.." he moaned lowly, taking just the smallest bite out of the piece of fruit.

Allelujah pouted a little, watching Neil. He wanted the strawberry. It's the best part of having a strawberry shortcake. Neil couldn't help but look up at the pilot "Wha--?" he licked his lower lip, some of the strawberry's juice having fallen onto his chin.

Oooh, I get it now. Neil smirked inwardly, leaning forward to press the end of the strawberry against Allelujah's lips. "Here. Bite."

"Ahh--" the pilot opened his mouth, sinking his teeth into the strawberry contently. The red juice spilled onto his lower lip. "Mm, it's delicious.." he stated, feeling Neil suddenly wipe at his face with the cloth napkin.

"This is one of my favorite desserts." 

"Mine too." Allelujah couldn't help but say aloud. Then he looked down at the table. Neil's eyes were contrasting in the light. Why was he suddenly so....? 

"What is it?" Neil asked, noticing how timid the other pilot suddenly became. 

"It's just... We don't get to do things like this anymore."

Neil frowned, putting the half eaten strawberry back down onto the plate. "Yeah, we don't... So we might as well enjoy it while we still can, right?" 

The other nodded in response, sighing a bit, his shoulders slumping. 

"Don't look so down...Here," he brought the strawberry back up to Allelujah's lips, " You can have it."

"Are you sure?" he opened his mouth, taking another small bite.

"Yeah, I am." he watched Allelujah, bringing his other hand to brush his thumb against his cheek. "Let's do a lot of things we can't usually do right now..." And with that said, Neil suddenly leaned over the table, pressing his lips to the corner of Allelujah's mouth.

The pilot gasped at that, his silver eye widening. Neil's lips were warm, soft...against his skin. He turned his face towards them, seeking out their warmth. 

Neil curled his fingers into Allelujah's jawline, deepening the firm kiss, allowing it to linger -- for how long? He didn't keep track. 

Why did he do it...? He wasn't sure either. It felt like something he had to do-- or just really wanted to.

Finally the kiss broke, allowing both pilots to settle back in their seats, chests heaving a bit. They were both silent for a while. Allelujah shifted a bit in his seat, bot hands on his lap shyly, eyes cast downward.

Neil coughed a bit, breaking the silence "Let's finish our cake, alright?" 

"Lockon, why did you---?"

"Because I like you." he answered quickly, cutting off Allelujah's question. That wasn't a complete lie. He did like Allelujah. He knew practically nothing about him, but to be fair enough, neither did he. In fact, none of the pilots knew anything about each other, other than the fact they were Celestial Beings and piloted Gundams.

"Was it bad?" he asked the still blushing pilot.

Allelujah shook his head. "No..I liked it." The truth was he hadn't been kissed like -- ever. Neil's lips were gentle and warm, and he always wondered what it would feel like...

"I liked it..." he repeated himself.

Neil was the one blushing this time. He nodded, then smirked a bit, feeling secretly egotistical at the compliment. "I'm glad. I liked it too." he replied, picking up his fork to allow Allelujah to finish the strawberry before he dug into the actual cake.

"Next time we have time in between a mission, can we--?"

"Yeah, we can." Neil wasn't sure exactly what he was agreeing to. Was it to have dessert and coffee at a cafe again-- to kiss Allelujah again-- or...?

At this point, it didn't matter now. The two pilots ate their dessert, finishing their coffee, (or in Allelujah's case; his tea,) -- They didn't even notice the rain had stopped not much longer after they actually entered the cafe.

Soon after, a very irritated Tieria called, scolding both Neil and Allelujah.

That was alright though. Neil ordered another piece of strawberry shortcake for them. 

Tieria could wait a little longer.

-fin-


End file.
